Today let’s bring back the late, great Robin Williams and this movie. Whilst it’s a good film overall, for me it hinges on a few classic scenes that live rent free in my head and I think of from time to time (plus they pop up here and there online).
I don’t think Williams was much of a comedian (pure silliness really) and was mostly a fake persona covering his internal struggles… classic case of tears of the clown. As an actor though, I thought he was exceptional, and his portrayals will also come from that depth of darkness contained within his character.
You may recall (or want to check back on) that I featured Matt Damon in Museletter #3, where he was rockin’ the jazz in Italy with Jude Law. To be fair, The Talented Mr Ripley was another classic so we need to thank Damon for a lot of this stuff.
Anywho, this scene above is one of the best I’ve seen in any movie and dare I say powerful. If you don’t know, Will Hunting is essentially a genius and no psychologist could really deal with him, so they brought ol’ Williams’ character out of retirement with his unconventional ways.
When they first meet, they get off on the wrong foot and this is Williams response when they meet next (after a quip about his artwork). What follows is not only ‘don’t judge what you don’t know’ but also the value of real experiences rather than the theory of everything.
Being a ‘smart’ guy is great and all, but doesn’t cut it… you need the social skills as well as living the full life and really feel what it is you’re talking or thinking about.
Always worth a watch/rewatch!
Another great scene is the one below where Damon is talking to his good friend Ben Affleck (well, the character he played… credit also to Affleck for co-producing). It’s another one that resonates.
Damon may have a responsibility to both himself and those around him (and the world at large) to use the talents bestowed upon him. Of course, whatever he does is up to him, but at the same time his peers and society simply don’t have that option.
Manual work, baseball and a barbecue with his old chum for years to come, or something ‘greater’ and more profound?
Something to think about ;)
Whilst we’re on a roll… here’s Damon/Hunting going on a rant of his own. These 3 scenes alone make the movie and I think it was an enjoyable enough romp outside of that too.
Then again, this isn’t a film review site! Back to this publication…
I’ve started adding some ‘Asia Antics’ articles from my 2013 trip. These were posted elsewhere around the time and since but time to bring them into the fray here.
A reminder that all articles have a voiceover (with these Museletters the audio being a bit more obvious/podcasty). Tip: my personal travel ones may or may not have some ‘interesting’ asides so could be a laugh. Some of the others are a bit more basic and just me reading the words.
This is how it started (and each will have links at the bottom to the others):
That was the opening gambit, and we now also have ’Allo ‘Allo, Trek Time; A Slice of Pai; Rai Smiles & White Tiles and Cambo Capers: Sunrises, Genocide & Elusive WiFi which takes us north then into Cambodia…
The rest to come in due course - that being, two in Vietnam and a final Thai Tale!
Then I also added a couple of marketing type pieces. First up one on getting local businesses higher up the Google listings, then one on making TravelTech content a bit more interesting:
This Note comes from Stoic Wisdoms (yes, plural)…
(‘Notes’ are the short-form feature on Substack like tweets)
Not much more to add to that other than never complain, never explain.
I think this tends to happen as you get older anyway. Not out of rudeness or not caring (or maybe partly) but that it’s just not necessary and doesn’t tend to change people’s minds and just causes you more stress.
People will think what they think, and to be honest, the average person isn’t all that bright (you are of course :)), so the only real answer is to live and let live. Do the right thing but don’t try and convince anyone of your ‘rightness’.
I’m not going to bother with the ‘word of the day’/shit list/Room 101 feature as it doesn’t fit the vibe of the day and may make this thing a little long. Rest assured though, there are a few things that may get a bashing over the coming weeks.
Next week there will be some more from the above mentioned Asia trip and who knows what else…
I’m looking to use Substack as a whole a lot more (as in get involved/engage as I’m currrently just posting mainly to get this stuff up there), along with doing more on other Social Media (whilst trying to not get dragged in to the crap that’s put there… a fine balance to walk!).
That’ll do for now, I’ll leave you with a Robin Williams GIF from the film ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ where he’s in slightly more wacky mode. I half reference this in an upcoming Asia article when I enter Ho Chi Minh City, but that’s another story…
Philosophy:
Personal growth through adventure, creativity and comedy
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